In the Moonlight
by Daine Alix
Summary: Dinah wants to set Vincent free. but, maybe Vincent doesnt want to leave...


It was sick and twisted, disgusting and warped, but she loved it. She would never admit it aloud, not to anyone, least of all, him. The one who put himself through this hell, this torture, and all for her. She got the brunt of the work, she knew that, but he also got his fair share, of risks and sorrow. It had a positive effect on her somehow, kept the demons at bay. She could see that for him, it was different; it was killing him, killing him slowly.

She went every night, to fulfill her contract and soon found herself going for herself as well. It was a selfish reason, she knew. But, she had never felt so at home at any other place before. She could hardly remember her original home, her parents for that matter, anything. With her aunt Jane she had felt strange, out of place and a burden. She felt as if she belonged here somehow, amidst the crumbling ruins, faded tombstones and corpses. She wasn't judged here, every one was insane she wasn't alone.

She had always been alone before, never had anyone to talk to, until she met Vincent of course, the same boy who was here with her now, walking in the pale glow of the moon towards the mausoleum. She turned towards him and smiled, she noticed the worrisome look upon his face and noted how it faded when he caught her smiling. He smiled back, the same smile she had know for as long as smiling had ever mattered to her.

They finally came upon their destination, to see the two guardians awaiting them. Edrear and Edaniel. After Vincent they were her only friends. Friends. She loved to say that word to herself sometimes, usually by her window, late at night as she stared at the moon. Ever since the plague affected her, the moon and she had a bond. On nights when the moon was far and distant she would think of her friends to fight the ache in her heart.

She trusted the guardians with her life, her very soul even, so that's why tonight she had told them what she was going to do, what she was about to do.

"All right better get this over with I guess" sighed Vincent "I have a French project due on Thursday so I cant waste too much time."

"Whoa, whoa hold on there Sanchez! Were not going anywhere!" Edaniel corrected.

"What? Why the hell not!?"

"I'm sure Miss Dinah will explain." Edrear offered.

Dinah turned to face her friend, her first friend, her _best _friend and felt a stab of regret. Vincent didn't know that while he was at school that day, Dinah had taken all her belongings and moved into the mausoleum. This is my home now she repeated to herself and she had to do it.

"Di? What's wrong?" Vincent asked concerned.

This was her home and her burden to bear. The mausoleum was the chain weighing her down and trapping her here, he should be free. He thought he was helping her but one day it dawned on her that maybe she didn't want to be helped. This is where she should stay, her and not him. He wasn't like her, he needed sunlight and laughter not graves tainted in moonlight and sorrowful wails. It had to be done, so she turned towards him.

"I…I don't want you here anymore Vincent." She said looking him in the eye. He didn't flinch.

"You don't mean it." He responded unflinchingly.

"Yes, I do, now go home."

"No." he was beginning to unnerve her and she found herself screaming suddenly.

"I mean it!! I mean it I mean it!! Go home Vincent!! GO HOME!! I don't want you here! Go home and don't you ever come back!" she turned and ran then, ran into the dark shadows, ran blindly past tombstones until she tripped and fell. She fell on the ground and sobbed. She cried until she thought she would never be able to cry again, then she lifted her head and looked around.

She had never been to this part of the mausoleum before, she was in a clearing surrounded by willows and rose bushes. The bushes had no roses, only thorns. And as the moonlight filtered through the willows she noticed that it was beautiful in the clearing, eerie, terribly frightening but beautiful.

"Weeping willows." She muttered to herself absently as she began to dust herself off. It was then that she heard the crack of a branch and the sound of approaching footsteps. Dinah had been afraid many times in the mausoleum but she had always had Vincent, and then Edaniel, and finally Edrear. All three men were willing and able to protect her and she realized one day that she relied on them too much. She started to fend for herself more after that, and as the footsteps became louder a thought struck her. She could survive without their help and protection, but could she survive without him?

Vincent entered the clearing suddenly and sat opposite Dinah without uttering a word. He stared at her intensely for several long minutes until he questioned.

"Why?" his voice held no emotion but she could see the tears welled up in his eyes.

"It's all for me!" she cried and he appeared shocked "at first I came because of the contract, but now I see im doing it for myself! I used to hate it here! But now I realize it was never a hate just a misunderstanding! Now I understand! I understand this place, its effect on me and why I have to stay."

"Dinah.." Vincent reached out apprehensively unsure of what to say. Dinah started to cry then.

"Im not that selfish Vincent! The rest is for you! All for you!" she sobbed "You cant rot here! You don't deserve that fate! You should go back home, back to school, back to reality! And as far away as possible from this sick dream world and its sick dreamer!" Vincent became angry at these words.

"You cant tell me what to do!" she shouted suddenly, leaping to his feet. "Ill do what I se is right, and if I think its right to protect you with all that ive got then damnit I'm going to! You say your not being selfish! But you are, Dinah, you are! You're being the biggest, most selfish brat ever!" she rose to her feet at this and struck him across the face.

"Selfish!? SELFISH!?" she shrieked "Yes maybe about the mausoleum im being selfish, maybe leaving without a word to my aunt Jane is selfish, but if I were being truly selfish id, id…" she trailed off as she crumpled to the ground and started to weep. His anger faded as he crouched down to comfort her. They stayed like that until she calmed down and when she did she asked.

"Vincent, what do you think of when you see the moon so far off and lonely in the distant?" he thought for awhile before answering.

"I think that, well I hope that, I'm never as alone as the moon, not ever." He paused "and you? What are you thinking of?"

"If I were truly being selfish." She turned to him again. "Id keep you here, chained by my side forever." He saw her pale face color briefly before she turned away.

"You don't want me here." He said as he stood up, she quickly turned afraid he would leave. Instead he bent over and helped her up "But, you never said you don't need me." He kissed her then, a soft kiss, full of secret meanings and hidden pains and the only ones there to witness it, were the moon, the stars and Edrear and Edaniel perched in a tree.

As the two left, roses began to bloom in the rose bushes, they were silver, the color of moonlight. The same colour washed over their faces as their hands intertwined and Dinah uttered.

"I used to think of friends, but now I find myself only thinking of you. And that one thought keeps the demons at bay."

"Welcome home." He smiled.


End file.
